


apple of my eye

by tealady19



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Apple Picking Date, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27369556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tealady19/pseuds/tealady19
Summary: After the war, Keith takes Shiro apple picking for the first time.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	apple of my eye

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [FallForSheith](http://www.twitter.com/fallforsheith) day 3: apple picking! I have exactly zero control when it comes to apples and apple season, I've already been to the orchard twice this year. This prompt was just too good to resist!

“So you’re telling me, that never once in your life have you been apple picking?” Keith keeps his eyes on the road, for the most part, but Shiro’s cheeky smile draws his attention more than once. “Me, the desert kid, has been to an orchard. But you haven’t?”

“I haven’t!” Shiro says, laughing. His prosthetic rests along the window ledge of their borrowed jeep. Keith’s not sure how comfortable it is with the window rolled up, but Shiro doesn’t seem to mind the awkward placement.

“It’s just so weird that you haven’t done something like this? Like, I went because it was a school thing. But it seems like something you would have done as a kid like, for fun.”

Shiro leans his head back against the headrest, exposing the long line of his throat. Keith can see it out of the corner of his eye. There’s just a hint of a mark on the side of his neck, one Keith had left a few days ago that’s almost faded out. He shifts a little in his seat, trying to keep his attention on the road. He’ll have to replace that mark later.

“My mom took me strawberry picking a lot,” Shiro says, the smile on his face revealing how good that memory is. “She’s allergic to something in the grass so her arms get covered with itchy welts when she’s digging through the bushes but she loves strawberries so much it’s not even an issue. I always felt so bad that she’d have to slather on so much antihistamine cream when we got home with our huge baskets of berries but she was always so excited about them.”

Keith smiles too. “My mom was gushing to me when she was invited over earlier this year so the two of them could pick strawberries together. I don’t think she’s ever been so excited to take a vacation in her life.”

Shiro laughs and shakes his head. “Yeah, they both really love strawberries, don’t they.” Krolia and Hana Shirogane had sent their sons a selfie of their faces pressed together, a basket of berries held between them and red-stained smiles wide. Shiro had printed out a copy just to make sure it got stuck on their fridge in their quarters on the Atlas.

“When I was little we’d go strawberry picking at the fields at least twice in the early summer. Not to mention she kept a few plants on the balcony, so we had strawberries long into the summer and fall. We spent a lot of hours preserving them together.”

Keith smiles. He loves hearing stories about Shiro’s childhood. Shiro doesn’t even mind showing him pictures of himself, all big ears and braces and wide smiles. The first time his mom had Keith and Krolia over for dinner, she made sure to get out the photo albums for the four of them.

“But you never made it to apple picking, huh,” Keith says, pushing the turn signal indicator down as he slows to make a left into the orchard parking lot. “Now’s your chance.”

Shiro grins at him. “Now’s my chance! I’m excited to go with you, baby.”

He’s so sweet. Keith can’t help but lean across the gear shift and kiss the smile from his lips. Someone behind them honks and Keith is tempted to give them the finger and keep kissing Shiro but the other man pulls away, slightly sheepish. Keith relents and makes the turn into the parking lot.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the parking lot of the orchard is blessedly not busy - perfect for two sometimes still-recognizable paladins trying to keep a low profile on a date. Keith parks a little ways away from the front, and then remembering that the side windows are tinted dark, unclips his seat belt to lean across the centre console again. Shiro grins when he grabs his chin, but instead of tilting his boyfriend’s face closer to kiss him on the lips, Keith tilts him away and goes straight for the fading mark on his neck. Shiro gasps and makes a choked noise as Keith worries it with his tongue and his teeth, smiling against the skin as the bruise blooms fresh.

He kisses the mark when it’s dark to his satisfaction and Shiro gives him an exasperated look when he pulls away. Keith darts in for a kiss on the lips that quirks a smile out of Shiro.

“How am I supposed to hide this?” he says as they pull apart and Keith lets Shiro unclick his own seatbelt. Keith shrugs as they pop their doors open and slide out.

“Don’t? It looks good anyways.”

Shiro huffs. “And what exactly do I look like?”

Keith grins back at him, all teeth. “You look like mine.”

Shiro catches his hand and raises it to his lips. “Yeah, I’m yours baby.” He looks entirely besotted.

They swing their hands between them as they make their way towards the trees. The gravel of the parking lot crunches under their boots. There isn’t anyone in line as they reach the small cart parked by the first row of trees, so Shiro steps up to pay while Keith examines the list of available varieties.

There are a couple recognisable varieties: Gala, Macintosh, Fuji, but also a few Keith hadn’t heard of, like Northern Spy or Ambrosia. There were still some earlier varieties available too so Keith figured they’d pick a few of each one they find, and taste them all. Hunk will probably know best which ones are good for cooking and which for eating.

Keith snaps a photo of the orchard layout and varietes with his datapad and waits for Shiro to finish up with the farmer at the stall. She smiles at him and Keith can’t even find it in him to be remotely jealous: Shiro looks so excited to be here his happiness is contagious. He trots back over to Keith, two large cloth bags in his hands.

“I got two!” he says as he comes to a stop next to Keith, handing him one of the bags. The name of the orchard is printed on it, along with a list of some of the apple varieties and a large _½ bushel_ across the middle.

“I- we’re getting a whole bushel of apples?” Keith looks up at Shiro, wide eyed. “That’s like more than forty pounds!”

Shiro blinks at him. “Well, I hope our moms like apples.”

Keith tips his head back and laughs up to the sky.

They head off in the direction of the Ambrosia trees, hand in hand again. Keith navigates them to the right row and they set about filling one of the bags partway full. Keith alternates between twisting the apples from the branch and taking photos of Shiro reaching for the upper branches with his prosthetic. He tugs lightly on each to see what is ready to come off the tree, massive fingers almost entirely engulfing the fruit.

The light is just starting to turn golden and it glints off of Shiro’s hair. Keith looks up from the screen of his datapad, biting his lip. Shiro’s gorgeous here.

He blinks and hides his smile behind the screen. Shiro continues talking about all the different kinds of apples, greets the bees who live in between the rows, warns Keith when there are too many bees around this tree, _don’t get stung, baby._

There are a surprising number of bees, but Keith supposes they’re good for an orchard - pollinating the flowers in the spring and then getting their share of the fruits in the fall. They certainly liked some varieties better than others, and the two of them skipped past rows buzzing a little too much.

Closer to the bottom of the orchard, a ways down one of the rows where there isn’t anyone around, Keith reaches up to twist off an apple and toss in his bag. When he goes back to the tree he finds metal fingers sliding over the back of his hand and twining in between his own. Keith smiles as the arm tugs him back against Shiro’s broad chest and his other thick arm slides around Keith’s waist.

Keith turns his head to smile at him but Shiro nudges his head aside and dives in to mark up Keith’s neck in a matching bloom to the one Keith gave him earlier. It startles a laugh out of him and he has to be careful it doesn’t turn into a moan when Shiro’s teeth scrape against him. He knows Keith is weak to his bites.

He lets up after a bit and Keith turns in his arms. Their apple bags sit at their feet, almost full. The sun is on its way to setting now, bathing the trees and everything around them in golden light. Shiro glows.

Keith sometimes can’t believe how lucky he is to be here. To have this man in his arms, to be held in return. His palms slide up Shiro’s chest and up around the back of his neck. Shiro bows easily into him, pressing his lips gently against Keith’s. The kiss is slow and syrupy, one of Shiro’s big hands tilting Keith’s jaw to just the right angle. When it breaks he brushes his nose against Shiro’s in a soft bunny kiss just to see the crinkles form at the corners of his eyes.

“Thanks for this,” Shiro says, golden light burnishing his hair bright, alighting in his eyes. He’s so gorgeous Keith is speechless for a moment.

He finds his tongue, unsticks it from the roof of his mouth. “Had fun?”

It’s not his most eloquent, but Shiro smiles. “Definitely. Best date.”

Keith leans in for another honey-sweet kiss, flicking his tongue at the seam of his lips but not pressing in. Shiro pouts when he pulls away.

“I’m glad,” Keith says instead, playing with the short hairs at the name of Shiro’s neck. His nails scratch at the sensitive skin and Shiro’s eyelashes lower. “We’re going to have apples for weeks.”

It makes Shiro laugh. “We’ll have to have an apple party. Invite everyone over.”

It’s a good idea. Keith kisses him once more and then reaches for their bags.

“If that’s the case,” he says, passing Shiro back his bag and then grabbing his hand. “We’re going to need a few more.”

Before they leave the orchard, they remember to take a selfie with the help of Shiro’s prosthetic floating a few feet away with Keith’s datapad. Their faces are pressed together, smiles wide and bags of apples held between them. When they get home, it’ll end up on the fridge next to their mom’s.

They do have apples for weeks, but each one is delicious.

**Author's Note:**

> You can chat with me about apples (and Sheith) on twitter! [thimblee](http://www.twitter.com/thimblee)


End file.
